The Guinness Six Nations is to remain on free to air TV in Ireland as news breaks this morning of an agreement in principle between Six Nations Rugby, Virgin Media and RTÉ to ensure all three Six Nations Championships (Men’s Guinness Six Nations, Women’s Six Nations and Men’s Under 20’s tournaments) enjoy unprecedented coverage in the Republic of Ireland, benefiting from a first partnership of its kind between the two broadcasters.

Subject to final contractual agreements, it is envisaged that all three Championships will be shared in a balanced way which will see RTÉ again broadcast games from the Men’s Guinness Six Nations, while Virgin Media Television will diversify its coverage to include the Women’s Six Nations and Men’s Under 20’s Championships for the first time.

The agreement is to run on a multi-year basis with details of how long that will be for still subject to the long-form contract discussions that are now taking place.

“I am delighted that we have agreed on the principles of a unique three-party partnership with Virgin Media and RTÉ, and that they have chosen the Six Nations to build such a strong and compelling collaboration around all our competitions which will be to the benefit of our sport, our unions and of Rugby fans in Ireland,” said Six Nations Rugby CEO Ben Morel.

“Rugby is a participation sport and one that has always, and will always, strive to ensure a balance between finance and exposure,” added Philip Browne, CEO of Irish Rugby.

Win-Win

“It is a win-win for all involved to have the future of all three Championships move through the contract stages with partners that have a history of showcasing our game.”

“How we, and our broadcast partners, present our game is important, not only for the hear-and-now of the viewers sitting down together to watch a particular game but for those who may be inspired to take up the ball and play in schools and clubs. We look forward to working with both Virgin Media and RTÉ on the promotion of our great game across men’s and women’s rugby.”

“This agreement represents a win for the Irish public as two broadcasters come together to deliver the Six Nations Tournaments Free-to-Air, to the widest possible audience in Ireland,” said Dee Forbes, Director General of RTÉ.

“As competition increases from global players in the sports rights market, we are delighted to work locally with Virgin Media Television, with the aim of serving Irish audiences with fantastic Six Nations action.”

“RTÉ has a long and proud history in showcasing Irish rugby and is delighted to work with Six Nations and the IRFU to continue to strengthen that tradition.”

“Virgin Media Television are very excited about this historic agreement which guarantees that the Six Nations Men’s, Women’s and Under 20s competitions will continue to be available to Irish rugby fans on Free-to-Air Television,” added Mick McCaffrey, Head of News and Sport at Virgin Media Television.

Innovative Collaboration

“The rapidly evolving sports landscape means it is by no means a given that world-class sporting action remains on Free-to-Air television. This innovative collaboration is a really positive outcome for Irish Rugby fans, for Irish broadcasting and for the continued growth and development of Rugby across Ireland.”

The detail will now be worked out with regard to the nuts and bolts of who covers which games in which year.

If there is a full 50:50 split across all three tournaments it is likely that the fixtures will rotate, making a four year rather than a three-year contract more likely, especially if similar sharing arrangements are in place between ITV and the BBC or another broadcaster in Britain.

This is a major win for fans with a likely up to six-fold increase in the number of fans that will be exposed to the most visible and popular tournament in the sport.

That alone makes it perhaps the most important deal of the year in the business of sport in Ireland

 

 

RTÉ, Guinness and Vodafone are among more than 250+ members of the Sport for Business network of sporting and business organisations working together across a number of key areas.

 

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